100 water meters stolen in Southend (From Southend Standard)

Essex and Suffolk Water say 100 meters stolen over a few days in Southend

11:00am Sunday 21st October 2012 in Echo News By Emma Thomas

THIEVES stole 100 water meters from homes in Southend - leaving them without water.

Essex and Suffolk Water say the thefts, which happened over a few days last week (19), are being investigated by the police. The meters, believed to be stolen for scrap, are worth hardly any money individually but the company says it has been frustrating for their customers.

Southchurch Road was one of the areas affected and householders down the road were left without water for hours while engineers raced to fix the problem.

Dominic Ross said his was stolen last Tuesday (OCt16).

He said: “Essex and Suffolk Water out in a temporary repair by midday on Tuesday and they were back the next day to put a new one in. According to them, loads were taken down the road.

“I’ve got to tip my cap to the to the water company as they fixed it really quick. Still haven’t got full water pressure here so I will have to talk to them.

A spokesman for Essex and Suffolk Water said the thefts were confined to Southend but were spread out across the whole borough in clusters. She said they had never seen anything like this before.

She said: “The theft of the meters is obviously extremely irresponsible and completely unacceptable. We are working closely with the police to catch the culprits.

“The value of the meters individually is very low, but their theft is causing inconvenience to the households targeted as they are left temporarily without water.

“We are confident that the people committing this crime will soon be detected as anyone working on or reading a water meter legitimately from Essex & Suffolk Water will be wearing branded clothing and our logo will be on their vehicle.”

Anyone that sees anyone suspicious working on a water meter is advised to call 0845 782 0999 so Essex and Suffolk Water can check if the activity is genuine.